An amateur film produced by Ken Ellwood of the Great Dorset Steam Fair taking place at Stourpaine Bushes in Dorset in September 1970. The film features may different types of steam power on display, both large and small, that includes various steam traction engines, several steam lorries as well as several steam powered ploughs. A number of threshing machines powered by a traction engine are seen being put through their paces watched by large crowds of spectators. A pair of hands holds a...

An amateur film produced by Ken Ellwood of the Great Dorset Steam Fair taking place at Stourpaine Bushes in Dorset in September 1970. The film features may different types of steam power on display, both large and small, that includes various steam traction engines, several steam lorries as well as several steam powered ploughs. A number of threshing machines powered by a traction engine are seen being put through their paces watched by large crowds of spectators. A pair of hands holds a brochure for the ‘Great working of Steam Engines’ changes to the camera standing with a crowd in front of a Fowler Showmans Conversion 21221 steam traction engine ‘Forest Queen’. At a fairground crowds walk past various rides and attractions all powered by traction engines including another Fowler Showmans Conversion named ‘Supreme’ and a Burrell Showmans Road Locomotive 3938 ‘Quo Vardis’. More traction engines around the fair powering various rides. Stalls selling Fish and Chips and Fresh Donuts changes to crowds walking past various steam traction engines that are powering other pieces of machinery including a mechanical saw and a mill. A man uses a hand flail to thresh wheat, behind him a threshing machine being powered by a steam traction engine nearby linked by a large belt. Men work atop the threshing machine adding the wheat or other cereal crop. A steam traction engine pulling a wagon passes changes to the back of another threshing machine where the waste straw is coming down a conveyor where two men are tying them into bundles or sheafs. Another steam traction engine powers a bailing machine turning the waste straw into square bales. A steam powered lorry drives past with a large crowd of passengers sitting inside. The livery along the side of the lorry reads ‘H.M.S. Sultan Marine Engineering School Gosport, Hants.’ Crowds continues to walk past various steam powered threshing or bailing machines; a small boy plays in the straw. In a field a crowd watches a man plough a field using horsepower. At another part of the field a tractor is being used to plough the earth, in the distance at the top of the field crowds looking over other steam powered farming machinery. A crowd gathers around a steam powered ploughing machine at one end of a field. A long metal cable goes across the field to a plough itself which is slowly making its way towards the camera. Two men sit atop it, in the distance the other part of steam plough. The men sitting on the plough now clean the blades before travelling back across the field ploughing the earth. The cabling for the plough is attached to the underside of the Burrell Showman Road Locomotive ‘Princess Mary’. More steam powered threshing and bailing machines in operation in a field. Beside one machine two men work with the straw, placing it into a vice. One of the men fills a bucket with waste grain and straw and puts into what appears to be a hand-cranked threshing machine. A man pours himself a glass of cider and drinks it. A sign reads ‘Ye Old Farm Engines', beyond a large field with crowds of people and cars parked in the distance. Visitors walk past a line of vintage tractors followed by a series of smaller steam or oil engines set up in a field alongside several smaller pieces of farm equipment possibly powered by some of these engines. In alternative field another steam powered ploughing machine in action watched by a large crowd. A series of other steam powered threshing machine in action includes a smaller thresher this time powered by a horse attached to a gin. The film ends on two steam tractor ‘Little Jim’ and ‘Suffolk Punch’ pulling a plough through a field.